“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London

The last two years for Team Gacho has been outstanding. Gold at Master's Worlds, Gold at Pans, Gold at Worlds, Gold at Kid's Pans, the list goes on and on. This family of competitors is an absolute POWERHOUSE. It takes hard work to achieve this level of succes as an individual. It is amazing that this family is able to achieve such success as a team. They are truly an inspiration to us all. Husband and wife, black belt Raul Jimenez and brown Gabriela Muller talk with BJJ Legends about the biggest loves in their lives their family and BJJ. Team Alliance Gacho is located in Spring Texas, about an hours drive outside of Houston.

BJJL: Why MMA? Is it big in your Country?

Raul: MMA is big in Ecuador but Jiu-Jitsu is bigger, more people do Jiu-Jitsu. I wanted to do MMA for the adrenaline and to challenge myself and see what I can do. Also, I got to travel with MMA, I fight in Brazil, Korea, Ecuador and Mexico.

BJJL: Husband/Wife how did you meet?

Raul: We met in school in Ecuador.

Gaby: In school in Ecuador. I moved there when I was 12. We went to the same private school and hung out with the same people.

BJJL: You’re a family that does this as a cohesive unit, are your children interested in anything other than BJJ?

Raul: My son Roberto does wrestling in school, he also likes to ride his skateboard and Matias wants to do wrestle.

Gaby: Roberto wrestles, cruises on his skateboard, unicycles and his dream to to learn how to surf. Matias wants to wrestle as well and his seems interested in soccer and gymnastics.

BJJL: As a support system for each other how has this helped you all these years as you achieved your goals?

Raul: My wife and son help with the academy when I travel to compete or seminars.

Gaby: Before Roberto got so big he was my best training partner. We were about the same weight and he pushed me, now he smashes or plays with me (ughhhh)

BJJL: Talk to me about your BJJ lineage?

Raul: I am a black belt under Mestre Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti and he is a black belt under Master Rolls Gracie.

Gaby: I would tell them not to spaz out and work on technique and not on ripping your teammates head off.

BJJL: The right gym, the right black belt, what advice do you have for people searching for the right environment to train in?

Raul: It is both. You need to find an academy that is serious about the sport. Find out the credentials of the instructor. If you're interested in competing, find a school with an instructor that competes and will push you to train hard.

Gaby: You need to train where you feel comfortable. Research the instructor, see what their Bjj lineage is.

BJJL: If there is one thing (across the board) that you would like to be standardized when it comes to BJJ rules, what would it be?

Raul: I don’t like advantages, you should get point on what you actually did, not almost do.

Gaby: Let purple belts do toeholds and knee bars.

BJJL: There are so many BJJ competitions out there, a person could compete on weekly basis, how does one distinguish a good tournament from a bad one?

Raul: Find tournaments that are organized and don’t mix weights and belt ranks just to fill a bracket.

Gaby: I like to refer our students to the well-organized tournaments.

BJJL: What is a solid piece of advice you think all competitors would benefit from when picking a tournament to compete in?

Raul: There are so many options, just look at the rules and see what tournament fits you.

Gaby: Compete when you are ready and feel comfortable.

BJJL: Do you have any women only classes?

Raul: Not at the moment, Gaby wants to do one in the summer.

Gaby: No, we don’t have enough girls for that.

BJJL: Do you have any thoughts about women only classes? Any thoughts on, “The Blue Belt Curse” in relation to women that train?

Raul: I support all women's class but it’s hard to find women that train and love it. The blue belt curse is for men and women, they think they black belts when they get the blue belt. Blue belt is you finishing kindergarten, I don’t understand why people quit.

Gaby: I think there are great, even all women’s open mats are extremely beneficial to women that train. Personally, I am not one to start something and not finish. I recently just graduated college at 37 years old. When I started jiu-jitsu I never had a doubt in my mind that I would continue until I got my black belt. I don’t understand women that start training for 1 or 2 years and quit. I think in the first weeks on training you know if it's right for you. If you accomplish getting your blue belt why quit?

BJJL: Your Team finished strong in 2014 and has started 2015 with a bang, what do you attribute your success thus far to?

Raul: Alliance is a successful team because everyone helps each other, all the top level guys share their knowledge to everyone on the team and the team is always evolving. We don’t just stay on the basics. My school is still small and I would like to continue to see it grow, I want to form champions, not just my kids, I want to see my students up on the podiums at high level tournaments.

Gaby: Alliance it the only team to win 10 world titles. There are many high quality, top notch athletes.

BJJL: Your oldest son (Roberto, 15) has been competing since he was very young, he is a force in the BJJ world. He is a dynamic competitor to watch, why do you think he is so driven in this sport?

Raul: He loves the sport. If it was up to him, he would only train, eat and sleep. He is driven because he wants to be a world champion at every belt.

Gaby: It took him a while to warm up to the sport but now he only thinks about training. I think his passion is seen on the mats when he is competing.

BJJL: Do you have any regrets thus far? Training miss steps/setbacks, not following advice, etc.

Raul: Rest when my body needs it, if you have an injury listen to your body and rest. Also, I thought that bodybuilding and lifting heavy would help me when being big guy doesn’t help and it's important to eat right all the time.

Gaby: I wish I started training when I was younger. If I would have started when Raul started training I would be a black belt. Not cutting too much weight.

BJJL: What has been your proudest moment since you began the practice of BJJ?

BJJL: What are your plans for the future? What goals do you still have left?

Raul:Keep training as long as my body allows me to. I would like to be ranked number one in my division. Make my boys, my daughter that will be born in December, and my students World Champions.

Gaby: I want to get my black belt and continue to compete. I compete masters so I would like to win Masters Worlds or Pan Ams.

BJJL: Is there anyone you would like to thank that you have never had the opportunity to thank for helping you get to where you are today?

Raul: My wife, I don’t thank her enough for everything she does and all her support.

Gaby: My husband and sons, they motivate me every day.

BJJL: If you could go back and change anything about your journey, would you?

Raul: I am happy with everything I have accomplished. I wish I started younger and focused more on my training when I was younger. I am glad I pushed my kids to train and not quit because they will be champions.

Gaby: Just wish I started younger and valued the importance of drilling earlier in my journey. I feel my game got better the more I drilled.

Team Gacho started off 2015 with an unbelievable winning streak and has been on a roll ever since. 2016 is right around the corner and I see no signs of them slowing down. This family trains together, competes together, and wins together. That is something we all can respect and admire. Team Gacho is reaping the benefits of all their years of hard work and deserve each and every blessing that has come their way.

“I ask not for any crownBut that which all may winNor try to conquer any worldExcept the one within.”

In the words of Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa, "Everything is worth it if the soul is not small." The day she was born, no one could know what a major impact Professor Yvone Magalhaes Duarte, First Female Black Belt (1990), would have on the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The more you grow in the sport, the more you want to know about the roots of your new found addiction. BJJ has grown substantially since Professor Magalhaes Duarte received her black belt. This trailblazer paved the way for today's women in the sport. Knowing how she did it and the strength it took during the time she did it (mid 70s-90s) should make us all want to leave a more profound legacy for BJJ generations to come.

Professor Magalhaes Duarte's start in BJJ began with her brother and mentor, now a coral belt, Master Pascoal Duarte. She came along during the "golden age of Jiu Jitsu when the best BJJ fighters showed up, the best time in all times, Royler Gracie, Cassio Cardoso, Rolls Gracie, Sergio da Penha, De Larriva, Jan Jack, Marcelo Behring, Rickson Gracie, Otavio Peixotinho, Fabricio Costa, Paulo Caruso...and many others! The best time of BJJ!" She rose through the ranks alongside Marina Alcantara, Laila Zalfa, Ana Maria D'Avila, Fernanda Bulhoes and Lucia Moraes. Unfortunately the other women never received their black belts.

Early on in her career Professor Magalhaes Duarte recognized developing her own unique approach to her matches was crucial to ascend in the sport. She trained as often as possible. She was a petite fighter and was explosive. Her ambition was as admirable as her drive noting "during different periods Jiu Jitsu was the major thing in my life. I have always wanted to fight! I want the honor to teach my grandchildren." She originated from the academy of the renowned 9th degree red belt, Master Osvaldo Alves. Diversity at this academy ran the gambit from professional fighters to philosophers.

Rio was a melting pot and anyone willing to take up the noble art of Jiu Jitsu was welcomed with open arms. Once Professor Magalhaes Duarte received her black belt in October of 1990, one part of her journey had come full circle. She had become THE FIRST...The first of many to come. After receiving her black belt she became an instructor at the Police Academy, her classes grew immediately. Fast forward to the present and Professor Magalhaes Duarte is still as dynamic as ever. She makes her presence known fighting for sociopolitical and economic deficits. "My fights today are for others. I am working and fighting for human rights. I fight for the demarcation of indigenous lands. I fight for a society without inviolable refuge!” These words for are explosive and indicative of why the professor has become such a major pioneer not just for women in Jiu Jitsu, but for the world of Jiu Jitsu. She displays passion for what she loves. She is a pioneer full of grace, poise, and knowledge that hopefully future fighters will aspire to.

Professor Magalhaes Duarte has nothing but fond memories as a competitor, no regrets indicating "my Jiu Jitsu victories are now good memories; I have given my contribution. The principles of this fight are still with me and I want to keep sharing with others." She currently resides in Rome and lucky for the BJJ world, there are no signs of her slowing down. If you want to find out how far a culture has come, you need only look to its foundation. In order to know where you are going, you must remember where you have been. Our history can do one of two things for us. It can provide us with building blocks for future success or condemn us to a perpetual state of arrested development. The path is ours to choose. This pioneer has blazed the way from the CBJJE to the IBJJF, who’s got next?

Shine Fights announced the addition of Rolles Gracie to its heavyweight roster. The son of legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Rolls Gracie, and a member of MMA’s most famous family, Gracie is the latest member of the famed clan to carry on the familial legacy in the sport of MMA. A brilliant grappler in his own right, Rolles’ recent titles include No-Gi American National Ultra-Heavyweight Champion, No-Gi Pan-American Champion, and 3-time Pan-American Champion

So you don't know who to follow on Twitter. Everyone tweets about "going to roll", "I am sore", blah blah... Get some real insight into the Jiu Jitsu community. Check Out these cool Brazilian Jiu Jiutsu cats to follow on Twitter:

A blow for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) in the UFC. Rolls Gracie leaves the UFC octagon with a 3-1 record. This second degree Black Belt has secured his wins all with submissions in the mixed martial art competition. Rolls exit from the UFC was confirmed by The Wrestling Observer.

The jiu jitsu expert and now mma fighter, Gracie was defenitely winded in his bout with Joey Beltran and was not prepared for the flury of punches that lead to his inevitable TKO and exit from the UFC.